(UPDATE) Abu Sayyaf frees Malaysian cop

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - A Malaysian policeman who was kept hostage by suspected terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group for almost eight months in southern Philippines was freed today, military said.

Lieutenant Colonel Harold Cabunoc, military's public information office chief, said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) received the information from civilian informants in southern province of Sulu of Zakia Aliep's release.

"Aliep was said to have arrived in the shoreline of unspecified place in Sabah, Malaysia on board a speedboat at around 7:00 a.m. today," he said.

Cabunoc said the AFP firmly believes that bandits were forced to release the victim due to the relentless pursuit operations conducted by the Joint Task Group Sulu.

The suspected Abu Sayyaf members seized Aliep in July last year in Simporna, Malaysia in an ambush that also killed another policeman.